77-year-old bride Barbara Guggenheim wore a custom Attersee suit for her Manhattan wedding celebration

The final look was slick but soft, tailored but delicate, and timeless but fresh. “I don’t think I’ve ever got so many compliments!” says Guggenheim. For her accessories, she borrowed an ear cuff from Wilkinson Schor’s friend, the jeweler Ana Khouri, and wore her own antique diamond tennis bracelets with a pair of satin slides she found in the same hue by Toteme. “In my 20s and 30s, people had shoes died to match the dress—I went online and typed in ‘off-white slides’ and found them—it’s amazing,” she adds.

A spontaneous hair change

As for her hair and makeup, Guggenheim admits she got a day-of bob she hadn’t planned for—she had, in fact, requested an updo—after falling asleep in the salon chair. “I almost had a cardiac arrest, but it actually made my neck look longer!” In hindsight, Guggenheim can confirm it was a perfect match for the suit’s off-the-shoulder cut.

At the event itself, which lured plenty of local friends but also a contingent from the West Coast, where Guggenheim spends most of her time, Wilkinson Schor received many compliments for her aunt’s look—and some new orders. “I have to tell you,” said Guggenheim, “At the event, people really liked it so much that she had three orders by Monday.” (One guest even ordered it in two colors as a mother-of-the-bride look for her daughter’s upcoming nuptials.)

Barbara Guggenheim and her niece both inspire women

For Guggenheim‘s niece Wilkinson Schor, it’s confirmation of all she set out to do with her line. “It was such a dream—it sounds like such a cliché to say, but I’ve been so inspired by my mom, her sister, and Barbara for so many years,” she says. “And in many ways, I feel I’m always designing for them in some capacity.”